my story

I wasn’t always a top youth motivation speaker. There was a time in my life when everything seemed stacked against me. I was diagnosed with ADHD, caught in years of drug and alcohol abuse, and raised by a mother who had me at just 16 years old. I struggled deeply in school and ended up attending three different schools during my ninth-grade year, repeating it more than once. From the outside, my story looked like one of failure. But what I’ve learned is this: your beginning does not get to decide your ending.

At my lowest point, I encountered a group of educators who changed everything. They didn’t see a problem to manage; they saw a person worth fighting for. They loved me back to life. They didn’t teach me based on what they saw in the moment, they taught me based on what they believed was possible. They spoke life into me when I had no vision for my own future, and something inside of me started to shift.

On my third attempt at ninth grade, I began to value education not because it was forced on me, but because someone believed in me. That belief fueled my effort. I caught up with my grade, graduated high school on time, went on to college, and earned both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Today, I travel the world inspiring and motivating people, all because a few educators chose faith over frustration.

To every teacher and administrator reading this, please understand the power you carry. You are not just delivering curriculum. You are shaping identity. You are planting seeds that may not bloom in your classroom but will change lives far beyond it. Your belief can interrupt cycles of failure and rewrite generational narratives.

So when you see that student who’s struggling, distracted, or falling behind, don’t count them out. Speak life. Teach by faith and not by sight. You may never fully see the impact of your words, but trust me when I say this: loving one student back to life can change the world.